Interviewer: Grace

Interviewee: Jane Yang (my mom)

Location: At my home
Date/time: 5/23/2021
Subject: The Economic Reform In China

The original interview is in Mandarin.

1. 你还记得改革开放之前你的生活是什么样子的吗? 1:30-5:00

它不是像是今天是这样生活，明天是另外一种生活。它不是突然有了一个跨越和改
变….
我觉得我生活很就是和我的父辈有很大的不同，就比如说我可以有自由，可以选择
我工作的地方，工作的内容，我不用再在像我的父母那样，他们一辈子只能在一个地方工
作.然后无论他们的工作做的好或者是坏，对他们的生活影响不是很大，而到了我这一代呢
，只要你工作勤奋努力，你就可能会对自己的那个生活质量有一个很大的改观，比如说你要
是努力的工作，寻找更多的发展机会，那你就会赚更多的钱来改善你现在的生活。
像我的爸爸妈妈那样子，我必须得限定在一个地方。比如说会受户口的限制，受工作
编制的限制。就只能在这一个地方工作，在一个单位工作。很难去改变你工作的内容和地方
儿。而我那时候大学毕业以后，我在老家的那个地方工作了之后。我觉得我不喜欢那样的地
方，我觉得很沉闷。那深圳，因为我可以看到，每天在报纸上看到深圳就是很快速的前进，
很多新的消息，那我就很想也来这里（深圳）来体验一下，那我就来了。我不用再担心说我离
开了原来的地方我就没有办法生活。改革开放，具体到就是深圳，那他给了我一个很多改变
的可能性，我可以自由地选择我的工作。我会碰到各种各样新的机会，你知道一个社会在快
速发展的时候，它就会有很多的机会，你可以去抓住它去做。而不是说在一个固定的轨道里
面前行，就没有什么新鲜的事物对。所以，经济的发展让我有更多的机会和自由，那也有更
多赚钱的可能性。
然后国家的国门开放，也让我可以到外面去看一些不同世界。比如说澳洲，美国，香
港，新加坡。我可以有机会走出去。以前人们是不可能走出国门的，看不到外面的世界是什
么样子。但是我就可以看看别人是怎么样生活的，那对我的思维肯定是一个很大的刺激。因
为国家经济的强大，修了很多的高速公路，也有很多飞机航线啊。然后我赚了很多的钱。我
也可以自己买车啊，然后买我自己想住的楼房，就是住宿。我可以享受到更多的物质生活，
精神上也得到了更大自由。

1. Do you remember what your life was like before the Economic Reform? 1:30-5:00

It's not like I was living one way today and another tomorrow. It's not like there was a sudden
leap and change ....
My mother told me how the economic reform didn’t change her life the moment it started. It
still took several years for things to settle down (because citizens of China did not like this
reform as it was capitalism) and start to have good effects. She then proceeded to tell me how
her life was compared to her father, to show me the differences. She talked about her job after
she finished college in ‘92. It was 12 years after the program of Economic Reform was
established when my mother started to see the changes.

I think my life is very different from my parents, for example: I can have the freedom to choose
where I work, what I work on. I don't have to be like my parents, they can only work in one
place their entire lives. all their lives. No matter how good or bad their work is, their lives are not
significantly affected. To my generation, as long as you work hard, you may have a great change
in the quality of life. For example, if you work hard, looking for more development
opportunities, then you will earn more money to improve your life.
If I followed my parents’ footprints, I would have to be limited to one place. For example, I
would be limited by the household registration, limited by the work establishment. I could only
work in this one place, in one unit of work. It is difficult to change the content and place of your
work. After I graduated from college, I worked in my hometown. I did not like that place, I felt
very dull. I wanted to go to Shenzhen, because I saw how rapidly Shenzhen was advancing. I
wanted to come to Shenzhen to experience that, so that’s why I came to Shenzhen.
I didn’t have to worry about leaving my hometown and not having a way to live. The economic
reform, specifically Shenzhen, gave me a lot of possibilities for change, and I was free to choose
my job. I will come across all kinds of new opportunities. You know, a society in rapid
development will have a lot of opportunities offered to you, and you can go to seize it. Instead of
moving forward in a fixed track. So the economy is growing so that I have more opportunities
and freedom, and that I have more possibilities to make money. Then the country's doors open,
but also so that I can go outside to see some different world. For example, Australia, the United
States, Hong Kong, Singapore. I can have the opportunity to go out. In the past, it was
impossible for people to go out of the country and see what the outside world was like. But I can
see how other people live, and that is certainly a great stimulus for my mind.
Because the country's economy is strong, a lot of highways have been built, and there are many
airlines. Then I earned a lot of money. I can also buy my own car ah, and then buy my own want
to live in the building, is the accommodation. I can enjoy a more material life, and greater
spiritual freedom.

2. 你有机会体验这样的生活是因为改革开放吗？4:58-6:38

对，因为国家经济政策的改变给予了我们很多的机会去发展自己。国家变得更富有，更强大
了。以前可能只是乡村小路，我只能开着一个马力很小的车在上面走，所以他就走得很慢。
那现在修了桥梁铁路公路，高速公路，我就可以跑得很快，然后去更多的地方。以前我们只
局限在一个小地方，但是现在因为国家强大了，那你就可以有更多的地方可以去看，去体会
，包括你走到国外去。比如说我，我在九五年前后，我就去了泰国，去了新加坡。我还去过新
加坡，泰国，日本，然后后来去了澳洲啊，欧洲美国，那我就看到他们和我不同的文化，不同
的生活方式的人是怎么样子的。这个都依赖于你的国家的强大对不对？你经济发展了才有
可能是有这样的机会的。你如果是每天只为自己吃饭都还吃不饱，那你怎么可能有机会和
有心情有能力去看看别人生活的怎么样子。

2. Is it because of the economic reform that you are able to have such a life?
4:58-6:38

Yes, because the change of the national economic policy gave us a lot of opportunities to develop
ourselves. The country has become richer and stronger. In the past, it was probably just a small
country road, and I could only drive a car with very little horsepower on it, so it went very
slowly. Now that the bridges, railroads and highways are built, I can go fast and then go to more
places. We used to be confined to a small place, but now because the country is strong, then you
can have more places to see, to experience, including going abroad. For example, around 1995, I
went to Thailand.I also went to Singapore, Japan, and then to Australia, Europe and the United
States. Then I saw how they are different from me in culture, and saw a different lifestyle.
Everything I was able to do relied on my country. Only when your country’s economy develops
can you have such opportunities. If the country is poor and you’re even having trouble with basic
needs, how can you have the opportunity and energy to see how other people live?

3. 那你觉得按照原来的发展轨迹(沒有改革开放）像姥姥姥爷他们那样子的。你觉得那
你现在生活会是什么样子的呢？或者整个中国的发展轨迹会是什么样子的？
9:07-11:14

如果是那样子的话，我可能就会在某一个地方，每天见到的就是见到的是同样的人。然后生
活是一成不变的，我的生活有可能每个月是固定的，你要吃多少东西，吃固定的粮食，比如
说像我，大概是28斤。女的是28斤，男的是32斤的。一个月能吃两斤肉，分五斤油，吃半斤
糖。我住的房子呢，也是单位分配给我的, 按照我的级别。我大概是一个小科员，我可能住
60平米的房子。我到了一个局级干部，到了这样一个程度，我可能住90平米的房子，那我到
了一个四级干部可能住110平米的房子。我就必须得固定在那个单位，因为如果我不在那个
公司里面工作了，我所有的一切都没了，包括我的户口啊，我的工资，也没有人再给我分房
子了，我可能就没地方住了。我每天见的是同样的人，做的是同样的工作。然后可能跟某一
个人结婚生孩子，他的生活也跟我一样，那我就一辈子就这样子，生一个孩子，生两个孩子
，每天的生活轨迹都是同样的。我生活的圈子就会在我周围的方圆里。我买不起汽车，所以
我就不能自驾游。国门打不开，我就不能没有护照我就不可能到国外去。然后我们的思想是
禁锢的，那就国外的东西也不能进来。我就听不了国外的歌曲也看不了别人的电影。我就是
死水一潭。我生活范围聚在一个地方。然后每天循环的是同样的内容
3. Do you think that according to the original development trajectory (no reform and
opening up) like grandma and grandpa they were like that. What do you think your life
would be like now? Or what would the development trajectory of the whole China be like?
9:07-11:14

If that were the case, I would probably be in some place and see the same people every day. And
then life is set in stone, my life could be fixed. For example, the food I eat would be at a fixed
amount. Women would have 28 pounds of grain, men would have 32 pound. I'll eat two pounds
of meat, five pounds of oil, and eat half a pound of sugar. The house I live in is also assigned to
me by the unit, according to my rank. If I was a small section member, I might live in a 60
square meter house. I reached a bureau-level cadre, to such a degree, I might live in a 90 square
meters house, then I reached a fourth-level cadre, I might then live in a 110 square meters house.
I would have to be fixed in that unit, because if I don't work in that company, everything will be
gone. Including my account, my salary, and no one will give me a house anymore。 I may not
have a place to live. I see the same people every day and do the same job. Then I might get
married and have children with someone who lives the same life as I do, and then I'll be like this
for the rest of my life, having one child, having two children, and the same daily life path. The
circle I live in will be in the square circle around me. I can't afford a car, so I can't travel by car. I
can't open the door of my country, so I can't go abroad without a passport. Then our minds are
forbidden, then foreign things can not come in. I can't listen to foreign songs or watch other
people's movies. I am a pool of stagnant water. I live in one place. Then everyday would be the
same content.